Author Archives: MBenson

April Showers – More like April Snow Storms

02 Monday Apr 2018

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Happy Spring! (Said from the town that’s currently 23 degrees and anticipating snow)

I know that the first day of Spring was a while ago, back in March. I know that Easter isn’t the first day of Spring. But there’s just something about the Holiday that makes it feel more real, that Spring is here. Well, usually that’s the case. I think it’s because my Aunts, Mom and I have a tradition where we always give each other flowers on Easter. My one aunt ALWAYS gives Pansies. My other aunt finds something interesting. And Mom and I always find one flower that seems cool or is new to give to each of my aunts.

The flower featured above is one of the flowers mom and I got this year. It’s so pretty and I love how the center of the flower is hooded and facing the ground. It’s the tiniest little thing too – only stands about two inches tall.

Reading and Writing wise, my brain is kind of like, holy cow, it’s April. When did it become April? Why is it April?

I finished editing chapter two, which I think I mentioned previously. And noticed one minor flaw leading into chapter three. Namely that in chapter two, the main character sees death for the first time, and in chapter three, and the rest of the book, there’s no dealing with what she saw. So chapter three needs to be edited and expanded to have her work through what she saw, what it means, etc.

On the reading front, I think I got like three chapters of a book read. So my March TBR list will be migrating over to my April list. I want to read all the books that are on it, and I want to sit down and follow through with my reading. I hate that I haven’t really been reading. Too much work, in the grand scheme of things I think. I’m not sure if the TBR list deserves it’s own post because I’m just shuffling everything over, but I might do one anyway. Reestablish what’s on my list for myself and everyone reading this.

What have you been reading? Anything you’d suggest? Leave a comment below!

All Pain, No Fun

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

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I normally love St. Patty’s Day. Not so much the green beer, and drinking until you fall on your face. I love the corn beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, the music, and the fact that I’m a little Irish doesn’t hurt either.

This year though, there was no corn beef, no Irish soda bread, and no alcohol of any kind. Just me, keeping my foot elevated because I had some serious pain.

What happened? I honestly wish I knew.

If you’ve been over on my Twitter, you probably saw this issue. I woke up Friday night at 11pm (after having gone to bed around 9pm) to searing pain in the toe next to my big toe on my left foot. I don’t remember anything from 9-11pm that night. I do remember at 11pm getting up and having to move something that was in my doorway so I could get out of my room – my cats are constantly knocking things onto the floor and in my way. But if I had hit it previously that night? I couldn’t tell you. I have no memory.

The pain – even after pain killers were taken – kept me up until 3am. I wasn’t sure if I had broken it, just a really bad stubbed it job, or what.

When I finally did wake up, the pain wasn’t far behind. An ever constant sharp throb, like someone was stabbing needles into my toe. The strange thing is, for all the pain – there was no bruising or discoloration in the toe or anywhere on my foot. The toe looked fine. Normal color, normal lean toward my pinky toe like my big toe had shamed it. When taking care because it hurt to even touch or poke, the bones felt solid and fine.

I spent two solid days in pain with my foot elevated and my pained toe taped to its neighbor for support and stability. Living in a two story house, I was practically confined to my bedroom because stairs were the worst of all with this.

You’re probably wondering, why didn’t you go to a doctor or urgent care?

Because honestly, with the bones being whole, there’s nothing they can do for my foot that I wasn’t already doing. Pain management, immobilizing the toe by taping it to something solid, keeping off it and keeping it elevated. I will admit I went back and forth a couple times on if I should. But in the end, even if it was broken, they don’t put a cast on a toe. They line it up, tape it up, and tell me to do everything I was already doing. So was it worth it to spend the money for an emergency visit and X-ray? Not to mention the amount of time I would spend waiting to be seen by someone, waiting for the test, then the results, and then the solution.

Monday I went back to work on it, but even at work I’ve been making sure to keep off it as much as possible.

It’s Wednesday now, I’m a couple days late with this post, I know. But it’s been busy at work and I crash almost as soon as I get home. So it’s been a long week already. And the toe is starting to heal. I left it untaped last night and it seemed to do okay. Though, I’ve taped it again for work today. If I have to be up and moving I want it secure.

This has been a real life update more than a writing update. But honestly with the amount of pain I was in I didn’t get any writing or editing done this weekend like I had hoped. I was barely able to concentrate on watching tv or sleep. Next week should be a better update. I hope at least.

I hope that your St. Patty’s Day was far more fun than mine. Did you do anything fun? Go out anywhere interesting?

OwlCrate – Feb. Hidden Worlds Unboxing

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

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So, one of the fun things I ordered for myself that now arrives every month are these amazing OwlCrate boxes. If you’re interested in the subscription, you can check out their website here.

And, because I do feel like I need to say it just in case – though everyone should have it because it’s March, there will be spoilers for what is in the crate below.

February’s Theme was Hidden Worlds

Continue reading →

New Snuggles

12 Monday Mar 2018

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Hello Lovely readers. I love Build-A-Bear and may have a mild addiction to them. I can’t help it. They’re so soft, snuggly, and just bring me cheer on a bad day or week.

Please note, totally not a paid shout out for the company. I just have a deep love for them. I got an email Friday that they came out with a new Girl Scout bear. Which prompted a trip to go get her – I have all the Girl Scout bears because I grew up a Girl Scout. (If you’re wondering, this is the fifth bear in the Girl Scout set for BaB). I also have the main six My Little Pony BaBs.

For some reason, last week ended up being really stressful and I ended up super sensitive and not feeling the world/people/job much. So this little doll coming out really brightened my day. And I can’t have naked bears, so I had to get her some super cute clothes as well. Naturally. I think the only naked BaBs I have are the My Little Ponies.

She came in especially well Sunday because I got sick and nauseous and ended up sleeping 90% of my Sunday away. What little I was awake for it, I read. I’m really working on reading Message of the Crow by Ellen Dugan because it’s been on my TBR for the last three months and I really want to finish this book. I’m on chapter three now! Getting there. My motivation is low, so my reading speed has slowed down a bit.

I’m still working on it, and getting things done as I can. I’m trying to not let life stop me, inch along if it slows me down but not stop completely. Still working on edits, but at 20+ chapters, the edits will take a bit. But I’ll get it! I refuse to not!

How is your March going so far? Getting things done? Is the month feeling a little draggy for you too?

Of course, some of my drag today could probably be associated with both not feeling well yesterday and the fact that Daylight Savings was yesterday so I lost an hour.

Laundry & Writing

05 Monday Mar 2018

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Hello! Welcome to the first Monday of March! I hope that you’re March is going well so far. This post is a little late, but it’s still being posted on Monday! So it counts!

My March is kind of middle ground at the moment. So far, so good with making my posts on time, on Mondays. But then, we only really have this post to go on for the time being. As it’s the first Monday in March. And to be far the rest of the month, while intentions are hopes are high, it’s massively TBD.

I was able to finish editing chapter two of my novel and will be starting chapter three ASAP. That has me fairly excited, to get another chapter done – I finished editing it last night.

So in that respect I can definitely say I’m doing well.

I was also able to get a little writing done. Not a lot. Like two pages worth. But still, writing is writing and all writing is good writing – if only because it means that pen is connecting to paper (or fingers are connecting to keyboard) and words are coming out. I’m struggling with this current project because I’m seriously trying to figure out if it should be first person or third person. I’ve never really worked in first person before so I don’t know if the struggle is partially because I haven’t done it before or if it’s just not working and I should flip back to third. At the same time, it’s something I want to figure out soon – because I don’t want to get half way into the story only to turn around and re-write it the other way.

We’ll see. Maybe I just need a little more progression before I decide though.

On a not so great note, my washer broke. Mid cycle. So Sunday had a lot of time spent at a laundromat to finish the clothes that were all soapy, wash the other load that needed to be done, and then stop to purchase a new washer. Thankfully the store had a sale on, and the new one will be here next Saturday. But it’s a stress that really didn’t need to be added to the already frustrating basement flooding issues.

I’m hoping to continue to get some writing and editing done this week. And some reading as well. All the plans, and I’m slowly but surely carving out time for everything I need and want to do.

Hope that March is going well for everyone else! Any fun projects on the docket to be completed this month? Let me know down in the comments!

February Wrap-Up/March TBR

01 Thursday Mar 2018

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I said goodbye to February on Monday. It may have been a little pre-mature, but after all the problems I had in February between health and home, I don’t think that it’s too surprising that I decided to flee from it faster than a girl with a hell hound on her heels.

The weather this week has started to slowly warm up, and I can only hope to leave the frozen behind as I welcome March and it’s unspun possibilities with open arms.  Were you able to finish everything you hoped to in February? Are you moving what you haven’t finished over to this month to try and successfully finish it?

I’m not going to review my goals for 2018 because I know it’s been a struggle. I’m taking a flag pass and counting this as my bye month in the grand scheme of things. What it does mean, is that I don’t get another one so pending no more health or home issues, I will do better moving forward.

February Wrap Up

When I set up my February TBR I tasked myself with reading six books, five new and one that I had started. I don’t think that this was overly too ambitious considering I had been able to read five during January. And truth be told, I think I did fairly well. I was able to read five books this month. It just so happens that some of them weren’t on my TBR, though.

The books I finished:

  • The Terms #1 by Ruby Rowe
  • The Terms #2 by Ruby Rowe
  • Twisted Palace by Erin Watt
  • Daughter of Magic by Teresa Roman
  • Buying Beth by Izzy Sweet & Sean Moriarty

Three of the five weren’t on my list, but they caught my attention and I stopped my list to read them. Sometimes things just catch my attention.

The books I didn’t finish off my February TBR:

  • The Elite by Kiera Cass
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
  • A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
  • Message of the Crow by Ellen Dugan (started)

Most of these books I’m looking to shuffle over to March because I still very much want to read them. Over all, even though I wandered off my TBR list for other books, I managed to read the number of books I had hoped to, so I’m still proud of myself for getting through them.

February Book Haul

Keeping with what I started last year, I figured it’d be fun to list all the books I purchased in February too.

  • Elizabeth and the Clan of Dragons by Ava Mason
  • The Terms #1 by Ruby Rowe
  • The Terms # 2 by Ruby Rowe
  • His Haven by Harper A Brooks
  • Wicked Favor by Sawyer Bennett
  • Awakened Spells by Logan Byrne
  • Prism by Nina Walker
  • The Masterkey by Olivia Wildenstein
  • My Favorite Husband by Pam McCutcheon
  • Werewolves in the Kitchen by Shauna Aura Knight
  • Sex, Lies & Sweet Tea by Kris Calvert
  • Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Three Witches of Burberry by K.M. Waller
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
  • Becoming: The Balance Bringer by Debra Kristi
  • First World by Jaymin Eve
  • Flesh and Blood by Willow Rose
  • Faery Born by Donna Joy Usher
  • Null and Void by Susan Copperfield
  • Te Price by Ruby Rowe
  • Queen of Gods by Scarlett Dawn
  • The Virgin and the Kingpin by Allyson Lindt
  • The Wedding Trap by Adrienne Bell
  • Mr. Sugar by L.D. Fox
  • Buying Beth by Izzy Sweet & Sean Moriarty
  • Princess SOS by Sara Page
  • Craving Maul by Sara Page
  • Chosen by Stacy Jones

March TBR

Because I did so well in February, I’m once again setting my goal at six books for the month. It’s longer than February by a couple day, which means extra time to get those six books read, right?

Without further ado, the books I’m looking to read in March are:

  • The Elite by Kiera Cass
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
  • Message of the Crow by Ellen Dugan
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
  • Null and Void by Susan Copperfield
  • Shadow Queen by Harlow Thomas & Anastasia James

I don’t plan for books that might catch my interest, because I never know when I’ll stumble across them and pause my TBR to devour a stray instead. But I won’t stop myself from doing it either. It always makes it interesting when that happens.

For those that know about Erin Watt’s books, no, Fallen Heir isn’t on my TBR for this month. It’s not that I’m not interested in East’s story, I whole heartedly am. And it is on my GoodReads’ TBR because I want to keep an eye on it. But because it’s book one in the two book set about East, and until Cracked Kingdom is released I’m going to want to hold off on reading the first one. I love the books enough that I’ll want the second one out so I can roll right into it.

Goodbye February

26 Monday Feb 2018

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Hey! It’s Monday! I’m a little late with the post, but it’s still Monday!

Not sure I can count this for starting March off on the right foot or not. Since, you know, it is still February. But It’s definitely not hurting for starting March off. Getting the posts back on track and where they belong.

I subscribed to OwlCrate back in December. I do have to say, I’m loving the crates. I keep meaning to do a blog post for the unboxings, and I keep forgetting with the whirlwind that is life. I’ll try and get one done for February’s though. Just need to get some good pictures in for it. So far I’ve been loving their book choices too. I can’t wait to get into those books.

Reading has picked up this last bit of the month. I don’t know if I’ll finish the whole of my February TBR, and the books I don’t will be moved up to March, but I’m at least getting some done. I always forget how nice it is to curl up and read a good book when I’ve not been doing it a while.

Writing and Editing are going a little slower than reading, but I am getting some of the stuff done.

We had more rain this weekend too, so that didn’t help the whole, my basement is a lake scenario. But now that it’s warm and sunny, it seems to finally be clearing up the way it needs to. Thankfully. So excited for that issue to be done.

What are you excited for come March? Any book releases? Movie releases? Writing or Editing goals? Let me know down in the comments!

Down and Dirty

23 Friday Feb 2018

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It’s the last full week of February. February has not been kind to my life. And as a reflection, this blog has started posting on Fridays instead of Mondays.

I’m hoping to get back on track starting with next week. But it’s a small hope. One that I’m going to cling to.

The weather has been crazy here. One day 70’s the next 30’s. That doesn’t seem terrible, but when you get migraines at the drop of a hat due to the shifts in pressure caused by those radical temperature shifts, it becomes a serious issue. I’ve been lucky to be at work most days with the weather turning back and forth like it has been.

I was able to get about one page of editing done this last week. Just one page. It’s not a lot, and I’m actually a little disappointed in myself for it.

And reading wise, I haven’t been after a couple of books at the beginning of the month. So I’ve got some catching up to do there too. I have goals and books to finish – both my own writing wise and other people’s reading wise.

Short update because short week. Also, my basement flooded the last two days, and I’m exhausted from the up and downs of pumping all that water out. So I’m just going to leave you with, I will do better! And the cute picture of the cat sleeping on a ball of yarn above.

Halfway Gone

16 Friday Feb 2018

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Can you believe we’re a little over halfway through February. The second month of the year. We’re almost a sixth of the way through 2018. I’m not even sure where the month went.

I lost a whole week due to a root canal getting slightly infected and being on both antibiotics to kill it and pain meds to mange everything going on in my mouth. It’s why I didn’t get to post Monday, and it’s why I’ve been fairly quiet on Twitter recently. It’s taken everything in me to be able to get into work and focus. Especially with the cold and the snow storm we ended up having.

I mean, look at those icicles up in that picture! That’s the eve of my roof as the sun rises over my neighbor’s house. The bushes in front of my house are about a foot shorter due to the weight of the snow we received over last weekend. Of course, Wednesday and Thursday were in the 40’s so all the snow and ice is slowly melting. But it’s supposed to drop back into the teens for the weekend. At least it means I’ll be snuggled in the house, finally feeling better, so I can write, edit, and read all weekend.

I want to get Chapters 2 and 3 of my current WIP edited by next Thursday! The goal is to get them to my writer’s group for feedback.

I also want to work on the short that a friend of mine is helping and encouraging over on her blog. You should check her out here!

Hopefully though, the end of February will be good to me. After the pain the first half caused me, I think the month owes me.

Book Review: Paper Princess & Broken Prince by Erin Watt

14 Wednesday Feb 2018

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Author: Erin Watt 
Publisher: Erin Watt
Genre: Contemporary (Coming of Age)
Rating: 4 Stars

Ella Harper spent her whole life moving from town to town with her mother, struggling to make ends meet. After her mother dies, it leaves Ella alone, striving to finish high school as she does what she can to support herself and not get found by social services and put in foster care. Her goals involve finishing High School, going to College, and finding a way to give herself a normal life.

Everything changes when Callum Royal appears in her life claiming to be her legal Guardian. He turns Ella’s life upside down when he brings her home to his posh mansion on the ocean, one shared with his five sons who all automatically hate her appearance in their lives and at their Prep School.

The story caught my attention right out of the gate. I was instantly hooked and wanting to find out what would happen, why these five guys automatically hated her, and if she’d stay or find a way to run and go back to her old life at some point. The world is filled with complex characters, some that make you care for them and others that make you want to knock their teeth in.

I finished Paper Princess within 24 hours of starting it. And the cliffhanger it ends on had me picking up book two, Broken Prince, immediately. And less than 12 hours later I had devoured Broken Prince.

I’m trying not to give too much away, which is why there’s not a LOT of saying what’s up in book two. But I will say it was a fantastic read, and there’s not a lot that has me finish a book in less than 12 hours – and it’s not because it was a short book but rather because it truly was that interesting.

I love the Royal family, and have to say that I love seeing them stand together for family. I’m already itching to pick up book three and continue my journey in this posh and luxury filled world.

If you like mystery, intrigue, and don’t mind a little bit of sex – this is definitely a book for you. The plot has you hanging, wondering what will unfold next, who’s behind it, and what in the world is going on.

Book two did end on a cliffhanger as well, which may be why I’m itching to read it. So be aware, these do tend to end with a ‘WHAT?!’ moment.